Rebuilding the Key Bridge IS An Investment in Our Future
Rebuilding the Key Bridge IS An Investment in Our Future
If the Key Bridge is going to be rebuilt as soon as possible, we need highly skilled Marylanders doing the work. With a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) on the next phases of the rebuild, we can ensure a steady, reliable supply of skilled labor throughout the project, which is the best way to avoid critical staffing shortages that too often lead to costly delays and budget overruns.
Deangelo Smith is a journeyman piledriver with Carpenters Local 474. He has been working on the Key Bridge rebuild, cutting and welding large pipes and other materials that are put on barges and moved to where they are needed.
PLAs are a proven framework for success
A PLA provides cost certainty and smoother scheduling, guaranteeing this massive infrastructure project will have fewer surprises. Most importantly, it ensures the rebuild is an investment in both the bridge AND the people who build it — creating high-quality jobs and life-changing career pathways for local residents.
SIGN THE PETITION: Join Our Call for a PLA for the Key Bridge Rebuild!
SIGN THE PETITION: Join our Call for a PLA for the Key Bridge Rebuild!
Submit the form on this page to add your name to our petition calling for a PLA on the Key Bridge rebuild!
THE PETITION:
We, the undersigned Maryland residents, workers and community members, believe that the rebuild of the Key Bridge is more than just a construction project — it is a vital investment in our state’s infrastructure and in our local workforce.
To ensure this project is completed on-time, on-budget, and to the highest quality standards, we support a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for all remaining phases of the rebuild.
We are petitioning for a PLA because:
- Maryland Workers Should Build Our Infrastructure: A PLA ensures local hiring comes first, providing family-sustaining wages and high-quality jobs for the people who live in the communities most impacted by the bridge’s loss.
- Avoid Costly Delays: Labor shortages are a leading cause of project overruns. A PLA provides a steady, reliable supply of highly skilled craft workers, which is essential for meeting the aggressive timelines required for this rebuild.
- Our Youth Need Quality Career Pathways: By prioritizing guaranteed apprentice hours, a PLA creates “earn-while-you-learn” opportunities for the next generation of Marylanders, allowing them to build a great construction career without the burden of student debt.
- Public Safety is Paramount: PLAs utilize workers who have completed top-tier, union-funded training, ensuring the bridge is built with superior quality and safety.
Together, we can build a new Key Bridge that also supports local workers and strengthens our communities for generations to come!
Submit the form on this page to add your name to our petition calling for a PLA on the Key Bridge rebuild!
When Marylanders build our infrastructure, the entire community benefits.
When Marylanders build our infrastructure, the entire community benefits.
The Benefits of a Project Labor Agreement
The Benefits of a Project Labor Agreement
Project Labor Agreement ensure that large projects like the Key Bridge rebuild are investments in both our infrastructure and our people, delivering lasting benefits for Maryland workers and our our communities. PLA benefits include:
- Prioritization of Local Hiring: A PLA puts local workers first, ensuring that skilled Marylanders are at the front of the line for jobs funded in part by their own tax dollars.
- Guaranteed Apprentice Hours: By prioritizing apprentice participation and work hours, PLAs provide our young people with hands-on, “earn-while-you-learn” training and a direct pathway to the middle class.
- Reliable, Skilled Labor: PLAs lock in a predictable supply of highly trained craft workers, which reduces downtime, controls costs, and keeps projects on schedule.The ability to advance socioeconomic policies, including supporting minority-owned and women-owned businesses.
- Economic Multiplier Effect: Well-paid union construction jobs boost our regional economy, as wages are spent locally on housing, food, and services.
- Safety and Quality Standards: PLAs mean safer worksites and fewer injuries because the work is performed by professionals who have completed top-tier, union-funded safety and training programs.
More Information & Related Resources
- PLA Basics: What are Project Labor Agreements and how do they work?
- Case Study: Learn how the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in D.C. was completed on-budget and ahead of schedule under a PLA.
- Apprenticeship Opportunities: Learn about our “earn-while-you-learn” model that offers career training with no student debt.